One Will Rise
by Turtlelove2
Summary: Violet has lost her parents and is now living on her own. When she meets Sarah in the city, strange things will start to happen. Voices whisper to her in the night, an evil man threatens to kill her, and a frightening prophecy binds her to her fate. Rated T for violence, cussing, and mild insanity.
1. Chapter 1

** Hey guys! I know this isn't my original story, but I got major writers block on that one and decided to write a new one. I'll keep working on the Turtleflame Legacy, but for now, I'm working on this until I get more ideas for TTL.**

** Anyways, onto the first chapter!**

Chapter 1

Tucking the bread underneath my arm, I break into a sprint. The villagers are still hot on my heels but they'll never catch me. It strikes me how odd it is that they leave everything out in the open that's worth stealing. I don't think too hard on that though because I need this stuff to survive.

It has been a couple years now since my parents died, and I'm still just trying to keep living. The memory burns in my mind as I run around one of their perfect little village houses and into the forest.

They don't pursue me which is what I expect. They never have anyways. I always come here at least once a month because that's when they get all their supplies. Once a month, the iron golems come and bring them everything they could ever need. I wait until the next day, when they leave, before I make my move. I won't do it that day because I enjoy my life and I don't want it ended by a golem ripping off my head.

I make it back to my house in the woods a little before sundown and check over what I was able to bring back. I have bread, some steaks, wood, and a beat up stone sword. I decide to get rid of the sword because it's junk anyways. Plus, I have a better one that I don't even use very often.

Since I hear the occasional gurgle of a zombie, I know night has fallen. I won't go outside and my house isn't in need of any repairs, so I just decide to go to bed.

As I lay there though, I can't help but remember the night my parents died.

It was a cold night. My mom was busy trying to cook dinner and my father was out chopping wood. I was out with him in the cold and darkness. I remember being frightened because I had heard the stories everyone told of the creepers that blow up in your face, the zombies, and the endermen that got mad if you looked at them. I stayed close to my father and jumped at almost every noise. He would just laugh and try to joke around with me.

_Not scared, are you champ?_

_ Never._

I loved his pet name for me. He started calling me champ after I had learned to use my sword. He was a swords master, so he was able to teach me a lot about fighting and crafting custom swords.

We stood by the tree for a while longer. I was determined to show him I wasn't scared. I was out of my element though. I didn't have my sword and all my father had was his axe. He was still chopping down trees when I turned and saw a creeper heading straight for him.

I yelled for him to run as I fled to the house. I heard the explosion and kept running. I only stopped when I had gotten to the porch and looked back. My dad lay helpless in the crater left by the blast. Half of his face was burned and he appeared to be missing an arm. I saw the arm in question laying a few blocks away against a tree. I screamed and fought the urge to puke as I went to get my mother.

As soon as I told her she went rushing out of the house, sword in hand, and charged out into the trees. I watch as she helps him stand and tries to get him around the right side. That was the arm he was missing so when she did help him up she noticed it. Well that didn't help at all. She nearly dropped him in horror as she saw it. He tried to calm her down and tell her he was okay but he was fading fast. She switched sides and tried to help him hobble back up to the house.

That was before the arrow entered his chest. Immediately, I screamed and ran to him. He fell to the ground, lifeless and pale. My mother found the guilty skeleton and practically turned him into bone meal then and there. All of the commotion had driven all the other mobs to us and soon, my mom and I were surrounded.

I was terrified of what would happen, but I never expected what she did next. My mom, my brave and selfless mom, gave me her sword and said only one thing.

_Run Violet. Run as fast as you can and as far away from here as possible. Go!_

At the last word she shoved me out toward the woods just as the mobs descended on her. Before I fled I took one last glance at the bodies of my parents and the house I used to call home.

~Time Skip~

I wake up screaming for my parents to run. Yelling at the top of my lungs, sweating and shaking. It's been almost three years since that day but the nightmares still hit me every time I close my eyes.

I sit up in bed, shaking off the sleep. I remembered yesterday, getting the food and tossing the broken sword, so I know I have something to eat today. Since I don't want to break into my precious few steaks, I take out some of the bread.

It doesn't completely satisfy me but I know I can get more if I need to. A lot of people say stealing is wrong. I even have a pretty little price over my head to prove it. But the way I see it, I need to live. They have their stuff handed to them on a silver platter. Is it so bad if I just borrow a few things? It's not like I hurt any of them either. I just grab what I can and bolt.

Since the nightmare tonight was worse than some of the others I've had in a while, I decide to take a walk. I don't really have much to do today and staying inside the whole time would bore the heck out of me. I go outside and pick a trail at random. There are lots of trails around the part of the woods I live in. They mostly lead to cities or just other villages. None of which do I ever visit. Going into the city would be suicide and going to another village would be a waste of time since I don't know when they get their supplies delivered.

The trail I have chosen appears to be well kept. There are flowers growing on either side and every now and then, I see a glowstone lamp. I guess some people travel at night. I know I don't. The trail itself is cobblestone which surprises me. Most of the trails or paths you would normally see are gravel. Cobblestone is only used when you're headed somewhere special. That's when I see why my choice may have been a bad one. I see a sign on the side of the path and stop to read it.

_Now entering:_

_Spawn City_

I should have known. Spawn City is the biggest city in Minecraftia. It's basically where all the new players spawn, and where all of the best players meet to show off their skills and items. The whole place is crawling with security guards and iron golems. I would only steal from there if I had a death wish.

I get a little worried and my hand goes to my sword. I brought it just in case I picked a path like this one. One that led me to a bad situation. I pat it slightly as I continue on. I've never actually seen the city because I was conceived from my parents,so I didn't spwan like the others. I know I won't steal when I get there, but maybe I can just look. Just to see what it's like.

When I enter the city, I'm glad I promised myself ahead of time that I would only look. Not only is the place full of security and golems, but every single donator there can't wait to report someone. They'll report anything, advertising, cussing, disrespect, you name it. I even saw one of them report someone for being stupid.

The actual city though, is beautiful. All of the buildings have a certain way they were built and themed. The monuments and decorations along side the buildings are nothing short of amazing too. Giant purple dragons, creepers to exact detail, everything is in amazing color and detail that would take me months just to learn how to do, let alone build. All of the things I find here are giant and I almost can't believe someone took all of their time to build it. There are blocks of every kind, wool of every color, stone, bricks, clay, every wood, obsidian, and blocks that I can't even put a name to. One of the strangest blocks is a pale color that appears to have holes in it but when I touch it, it's flat. It almost looks like it came from the moon. Another one is completely red and appears to burn no matter what happens to it. I even pour water over it and watch it continue to burn.

The shops along the streets sell items that are also nothing short of incredible. One sells a dark blue pearl that apparently teleports you to wherever you throw it. Another shop sells rods that appear to be made of gold. I also see several foods that are either made of gold, or are enchanted a certain way. I see potions of every kind, and all kinds of gems. Diamonds, emeralds, gold, amethyst, rubies, topaz, and others I don't recognize. So many things here are foreign to me it makes me question how much I actually do know from my parents, and just from being out on my own.

Then there's the people. People dressed in diamond armor, people trading with more emeralds than I ever thought existed, people wielding every type of weapon I could ever imagine and then some. They all have very different faces and names, each one is completely unique. Some aren't as nice as others but all the same, everyone here is amazing. They all have special skills, some of which I've never even heard of. One of these skills is called parkour. Apparently it's considered cool if you can jump from one block to another that's five blocks away, and there's several different types. There's lava parkour, fence parkour, ladder parkour, parkour with speed potions, parkour with jump boost potions, and so many others. These people speak of different lands and dimensions that I've never heard of. The nether and the ather are just two.

The city is so amazing I almost don't want to leave, but I know if I don't eventually someone will recognize me and then I'll really be screwed. How would I be able to get out of here with all these people in amazing armor and weapons chasing me? That's when I see a clothing shop. I don't remember the last time I had new clothes because it had never seemed like a big deal to me. Now when I look down at myself however, I feel embarrassed that I came like I did. My shirt is in tatters and its once blue color has been stained beyond recognition. My pants are in a similar condition so I decide to go in and look around.

The shop is amazing. It has clothes of every kind in every color. I could get lost in here for hours and only see the shirts. As I look, I don't see anything particularly interesting to me and consider leaving. Something catches my eye though and I go to get a closer look. What I find is probably one of the most amazing things I've seen and I know I can't leave without it. It's a light blue lace dress. It's knee high with a small v-neck. Instead of two straps, it's just the one that connects to both sides of the v and meet behind my neck. The dress almost makes me look like a diamond when I try it on, and I love it. I don't have enough gold to pay for it though and my heart sinks. The dress costs five gold and I only have four.

As I stand there staring at the dress cursing life for being unfair, someone comes up behind me and looks at it too. She has brown hair and blue eyes. A very pretty deep blue. She wears a tank top that matches the color of her eyes with a black jacket on top. She also has on jean shorts with white suspenders hanging off them. Her boots match the gloves she's wearing. She has on black gloves and a necklace to complete the outfit. Her necklace is one of the most intricate things she's wearing. The chain and part of the charm itself is made of gold, but in the middle of the charm, surrounded by gold, is a simple cut amethyst.

In comparsion, my torn-up blue clothes, long, black, tangled hair, and pale purple eyes, look pathetic.

We stand there like that for a good minute. Sizing each other up and every now and then, glancing at the dress. She speaks first. "You've been looking at that dress for a while now. Aren't you going to buy it?"

"Oh, no. I wish." I look at the dress ruefully.

"Why not?" She asks me.

"I don't have enough gold." I snap. I immediately feel bad for sounding harsh. It isn't her fault I don't have enough.

Without another word she takes it off the rack and carries it over to the villager to pay for it.

I almost scream in frustration. Of course that's what she would do! What did I expect? You tell someone here you can't pay for something that opens the door for them to buy it themselves. I was about to storm out feeling stupid when she stops me. I try to step around her but she won't let me. I don't say anything but I stop trying to walk away. She doesn't say anything either. She just pushes the dress into my hands and walks out.

I stand there dumbfounded clutching the dress. Why did she do that? Why would she use her gold to buy a dress for someone she had only just met? Did she _pity_ me? I hoped not. Pity was the last thing I needed from the people in this city. I quickly change into the dress, and realize I hadn't thought to get shoes to go with it. I find a shoe store after some looking and find a nice pair of boots. After paying for them (with my own gold) I put them on and continue to wander for a while around the city, marveling at all the detail and color.

When I finally get back on the trail leading home, it's sunset. I won't make it back before dark and suddenly I get chills all up and down my back. I take out my sword from my belt (I have my belt still because it's in good condition and it doesn't look too bad on the waist of my new dress), and continue down the cobblestone.

When I get halfway home, it's been dark for a while but I haven't seen any mobs. I almost think my trip will be uneventful when the lights that hang beside the trail begin to flicker. That's odd because they aren't redstone lamps. These lights are always lit no matter what time of day it is. I begin to walk faster as the flickers become quicker. The lights go out completely, and immediately I remember that night in the woods. _Run Violet._ My mother's words echo in my ears telling me what could happen otherwise. So I run.

I run with all the strength my legs can give. It helps now that I'm in a dress because it gives my legs more freedom to move than when I had on pants. Through the darkness I run towards nothing. I just know I have to get away from whatever is following me. Whatever put out those lights isn't friendly, and I don't intend on being a target. I keep running. I run faster than I ever have before as I try to escape the woods. The ever-present trees and darkness almost suffocating now as I keep going. Blind in the darkness with no general direction in mind. Just away from here.

I come to a clearing I haven't been to before. It's small, dark, and completely empty. No plants, animals, or even mobs. The entire place is surrounded by trees, so there is no escape. I stand in the middle of the clearing, sword raised, waiting. At first, nothing happens. The trees rustle slightly in the wind, and I hear the occasional gurgle of an enderman nearby. I stand there a little longer, thinking I've been foolish and that there was never anything chasing me at all. That's when I realize two things. The trees are still rustling, and there never was any wind.

I become extremely frightened, fearing a death similar to my parents. The hairs on the back of my neck rise and, even though it's a warm night, I shiver. I hold my sword the way my dad always taught me and continue to wait.

Finally I loose my patience. "Y'know, if you're trying to scare me, it won't work if all you do is rustle a few trees!"

Assuming I was just shouting at nothing, I put my sword back on my belt and turn to leave. "You would leave without a fight?" A voice snickers behind me. The voice appears to be right next to my ear, but when I spin around to punch the owner in the face, I find nothing. My fist flies through thin air as laughs echo all around me.

I speak again, unsure this time. "You would fight without letting me see you?"

I meant it as sarcastic as the question it asked me earlier, but it stops laughing almost immediately after I say it almost making me think it took it as a challenge, not a sarcastic threat.

The voice gets close to me again, even though I still can't see it. "You have a lot of nerve for someone walking around alone at night."

Then I realize that the voice isn't speaking next to me, it's speaking _in me_. It's in my head in a way that I know it isn't me, but at the same time, it won't leave. It scares the hell out of me. I start swinging madly with my sword left and right. I stab at empty air between the trees trying to find the owner of the voice. It just stays in my head and laughs. Eventually, I get tired and drop to my knees in the center of the clearing. It continues to chuckle as I bend over, rocking back and forth, holding my head.

"Get out. Get out. Getoutgetoutgetout." I repeat this over and over again like some sort of sick little mantra.

The voice echos me with the same answer again and again. "No. no. no. nononono." It laughs while it chants. It's a horrible echo I can't get rid of no matter what I do.

It persists in telling me it won't leave until I stop asking it to. Then I'm just curled up in a ball, holding my head, and rocking while the voice taunts me. I just sit there, my eyes shut tight, waiting for it to be over.

Then the voice stops making noise entirely. I continue to sit in the clearing, thinking that maybe it is over. I put my sword back in my belt and try to stand. That's when the voice shouts and ear-spitting wail and I black out.

**Well how do ya like that for a first chapter? A thief, a generous girl, and a voice. :) I love cliffhangers.**

** As always, I would love to hear feedback and I hope you guys enjoy this story. Seeya!**

**~TL**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

I wake up to find myself in my house. At first I almost allow myself to believe it was a dream, but then I see my dress and know it wasn't. My belt along with my sword are next to my bed like someone put them there, carefully. I have a massive headache, but other than that, I'm fine. I don't have any injuries other than maybe a few cuts, but I can't even feel them.

I try to get up out of bed and find out that every single one of my muscles is sore. Really sore. I can't move without almost every single one screaming in protest. I just decide to lay there and let my body relax. I don't even know how I got here. Did I walk home last night? No, I passed out in the clearing. Was I near anyone at the time? I doubt it. The only things I heard were gurgles from an enderman.

I get bored very quickly just laying in my bed trying to solve the impossible, so-with several tries-I manage to get up. I go outside to see if anyone was there. Perhaps even the person who brought me home. No one. I don't see a single living soul. I shut the door and start to take stock of what I have considering I have nothing else to do.

I run out of things quickly, then I'm putting on my belt, grabbing my sword, and heading out on the same path as yesterday. As I pass the lights, I notice that they're glowing brighter than ever, as if yesterday had never happened. But I know better.

I make it to the city faster than yesterday since I know the way to it now. Not as many people are here today, but that's alright. I've never been much of a people person anyways. I only hoped to see one person today. I want to know the girl that bought my dress. What's her name? Why did she buy it for me? As I walk, I visit the stores I went to yesterday. The clothing store, and the shoe store. I take my time as I walk, scanning the crowd for the brown hair I know is her's.

Why do I care so much anyways? All she did was buy me a dress. She may have done it because she felt bad for me in my torn up clothes, walking around the city. If that's the case, then why did she leave so soon? Did she just not want to be seen with me?

I'm so caught up in my own thoughts, that I almost run into a few people. All the questions tumble into one as I make my way around the city. Who _is_ she? I struggle with this question as I walk. This time, I do run into someone. We both fall down in a heap. I mutter an apology as I stand and dust off my dress. Then I get a good look at the person I ran into. It's her! White suspenders and all, she's sitting on the ground, staring at the ground.

"It's you!" I yell. "You bought me this dress. Thanks."

She finally looks at me realizing who I am. The look she gives me confuses me even more. She looks...scared. She looks at me wide-eyed. "Oh, yeah. Y-you're welcome."

She gets up to leave, but I stop her with a hand on her arm. Well that just makes it ten times worse because she grabs my arm, twists it, and forces it behind my back. I yelp in pain but she just pushes harder.

"What are you doing?!" I yell over my shoulder.

She gets down close to my face. "You shouldn't try to be friends with me." She whispers, threateningly. "I'm not who I look like, and I probably never should have gotten you that dress, but I felt bad for you. Just don't try to follow me. Got it?" Then to herself she whispers so quiet I almost don't catch it. "It may already be too late."

I promise her that I won't follow her and she lets me go. As soon as I turn around to ask her, at least, what her name was, she's gone. I had never known someone to move so fast. When I try to follow her, I quickly realize I won't be able to. She's able to move really far really quick, so I just decide to head home.

When I get home, it's only a little after mid-day. The sun is to the center of its arch, sitting there the way it always does. I decide to go to the little pond I know of near my house. It sits just inside the trees but it's hidden well enough that no one comes here but me.

When I get to the pond I look down and see my reflection. I stop. The dress and the shoes look fine, but I'm suddenly very self-conscious about my hair and face. Was my hair always this tangled? Does my face always look this dirty? I take off my clothes and get into the water after hanging the dress on a tree.

I wash my hair and my face using my reflection as my guide. For now, I just use my fingers to untangle most of my hair. I'll find something later to get the rest of the tangles out. After I'm clean, I get out of the pond and just sit next to a tree for a while, drying. When I'm dry, I put the dress and the shoes back on, and go look for something to comb out my hair with.

I come across a strange little bone dropped from a skeleton. When I pick it up to get a closer look I see that one edge is flat, and the other edge is a bunch of teeth. I run it through my hair to try it out and it works. All the little tangles I couldn't get with my fingers are completely removed by the bone. I decide to keep it since I don't know whether or not I'll need it again.

When I get back to my house, I find a book propped up against the door. I look around to see if the person who left it is still here, but I don't see anyone. When I look at the book closer, I notice that it doesn't have an author, and it only has maybe four pages in it. I take the book inside to read it.

I sit on my bed and open the book. The first page doesn't say much; just the title and a spot where the author's name _should_ be. The title reads _Prophecy of the One_. I think back to what that girl said right before she left, "_It may already be too late."_ Whatever that meant. What did she mean anyways? Why was it too late? I turn to the next page and begin reading.

_Prophecy of the One_

_One will meet another_

_the other will bear the mark of The Chosen_

_the One who meets the marked will be chosen._

_When the Chosen and the Marked join_

_together they will defeat_

_the Demon with White Eyes._

_Before the demon is dead,_

_one will die with him._

_The other will live_

_to bring the world out of the ashes._

_One will rise to kill the beast,_

_One will rise to fix the earth,_

_One will rise to rule all._

_One will rise._

At the bottom of the last page, is a small line of text that looks like it was written in by someone else in a hurry.

_If you are reading this,_

_it has begun._

I slam the old book shut and throw it under my bed. What does that mean? _"It has begun?" _Why would someone scribble that in the end of an old book? I pace from one side of my house over and over again mulling over the prophecy and what it said. I don't think I know anyone marked, so it couldn't be talking about me. But why else would someone leave it in front of my house? I think I would have known by now if I was supposed to fight a huge battle and only have a fifty-fifty chance of living through it or not.

With the book and its contents burned into my mind, I fall into a dreamless sleep.

~Time Skip~

Moments after I closed my eyes it feels like, I'm woken up by the sound of a bunch of screaming villagers. I fly out of my bed, grab my sword, and run into the woods. I make it to the village just in time to see the last remains of their perfect little houses burn to the ground. I stay within the edge of the tree line, watching. If I reveal myself now they'll think I'm here to take stuff, or worse, think I started the fire. For now, I just sit and watch and wait.

When they put out the remains of their burning town, three men dressed in dark robes and light green, glowing eyes come up and say something to the guy I know to be the mayor. He starts yelling at him for asking about "knowing where she is!"saying he didn't and that they should just "get the hell out of my village!" That's when his gaze wanders and his eyes lock on me. I freeze in place, scarcely daring to breathe. Please don't see me. Please, please, please be looking at anything other than me...

He mutters something to the robed men and they get on their giant dogs, heading straight for me. I don't think, I just get up and start running.

I almost immediately realize that I may have a lead on them, but I won't come five minutes from now. Their dogs are wicked fast and all I have are my two clumsy feet to guide me. I fly through the trees at top speed to try and out distance them, or at least, that's my plan.

They're about fifty yards behind me now but their dogs can smell a scent like no other. They find my trail quickly and are on me before I've even past my house. Forty yards. I find the path that will take me to the city and follow it. Maybe someone there will be kind enough to kill these jerks. Thirty yards. I'm at least halfway to the city by now because I won't let myself stop running, which will only cause problems later if I live long enough to feel muscle pain. Twenty yards. I start to weave around the path in a strange sort of fashion not because I'm going to pass out, but because I'm trying to throw them off my trail. If that's possible. Fifteen yards. I can hear every noise their dogs make now. All the barking, growling, snarling, and the click-clack of long nails on cobblestone make for a horrible chorus of terror.

When they're ten yards away, I know I'm done for. I can't run as fast as I could a while ago, and I'm running out of breath. Sweat soaks the back of my dress and my head as I run. I break through the trees in front of the city just as they get close enough to touch me. Then, most unexpected thing happens.

I see a brown figure jump from the wall surrounding the city. I yell for them not to but they don't hear me. They fall straight into the middle of the three robed men. The robed men don't do anything at first, they just sit there surrounding the person with themselves and their three massive dogs. The person doesn't do much either, just stands in the middle sizing them up.

Then I hear a shout. "Would someone like to tell me why you three idiots think you can kill my little friend here?"

The robed men don't say anything at first and I almost think they can't talk. Then the one that appears to be the leader speaks in a voice that sounds very distant and hollow. "We don't wish to kill her. We only mean to carry out our orders."

The person in the middle speaks again. "What orders?"

"We received orders to capture this girl."

"Under who's authority I might ask?"

The robed man stops, as if he's unsure he should say. "Our lord, Herobrine."

That's when I realize where I've heard his voice before. I almost scream in horror. He was the voice in my head after the first time I went to the city.

The person in the middle appears to be a little thrown by the name, but does well to hide it. "So, you mean to tell me that you have orders to kidnap her, and you didn't have the courtesy to tell her why?"

The robed men are clearly done with this person's sarcasm. They light a very large circle of fire around themselves and the person. The fire, I notice, is the same color as their eyes. The men make a sort of gesture with their hands, and the dogs disappear.

"We will not leave without the girl." The head robed guy says.

"Then it appears we have a problem gentlemen." The person in the middle says simply.

"It appears we do." replies the robed man.

The person in the middle seems to go completely feral and jumps on the lead guys face. When he falls, it's the first time I can actually see the person coming to my rescue. I find out, that she's actually not a person at all. She's a full-blown bacca. A pissed one I should add. She's laying there clawing the crap out of the guy's head and his colleagues aren't much help. They stand there, dumbfounded, as she finishes him off.

When she's sure the guy on the ground is dead, she gets up and turns to the others. "Would you fine fellows like to join your friend in the afterlife?"

They shake their heads no in horror.

"No? Then get lost!" She shouts at them. They immediately summon back their dogs, get on them, and run back through the trees.

The strange green fire circle goes out shortly after they leave, so the bacca steps out of the middle when it does. As I look at her, I notice things I didn't see before. She has clothes on. Ripped, but clothes nonetheless. They look almost exactly like the clothes that girl in the city wears, and her eyes are even the same shade of blue...

I realize who she is a split second before she says it. "Yeah, I know. Guess I should have maybe said something before I picked a fight with them, but if I had," she gives the body of the head guy a side-long glance. "you would be dead."

"T-thanks." I say a little weakly. She just laughs. Then her whole body begins to shudder and I think she might be having some sort of attack. She continues to shudder as I watch all of her fur, her tail, and her claws disappear. What's left, is the girl I know. The girl that bought the dress, that refused to be friends with me, the girl who warned me that it was too late. And now that her clothes are ripped, I see a shape on her shoulder. As I look closer, I realize it's not just any shape. It's a rune. _The mark of the Chosen._

As if she read my mind she says, "I tried to warn you. You shouldn't have wanted to know me so bad. Now we both have to pay the price."

I stand, stunned at her words. Does she know about the prophecy? So I ask her, "Do you know about-"

"About the Prophecy of the One? Yeah, I do. A lot more than you apparently if you only just now read it."

A million questions tumble around inside my head at once but only one makes it to my lips. "Who are you?"

She shrugs. "I'm the Marked One." she tugs at her sleeve. "As you can clearly see by my exposed shoulder." She models it for me at every different angle as I stare.

I stop looking at her arm. "So, are you going to tell me your name, or do I have to refer to you as the 'Marked One'?"

We both laugh at my attempt at a joke and she replies. "Sarah. My name is Sarah." she looks pointedly at me. "And yours?"

"Violet." I reply. As I say it, a million more questions fight to be answered in my thoughts. How long had she been marked? What did it mean? What do we do now? Will those guys come back for me? For a brief moment, I forget the questions and just see her. A girl I barely know and yet, I think she's beautiful. Seeing her in full sun, even though her clothes are slightly ripped, she's pretty. She doesn't look as crazy as she did the day she pinned my arm behind my back. She just looks normal; like someone you would see walking around the city, talking, laughing, being happy.

I realize I've been staring for too long. She's noticed. "What?"

"Nothing." I say and drop my gaze. She would never like me anyways.

"I think," she says. "I think we need to find a place to stay while we try to figure out exactly what it is we do now since you've met me and all." She gives me a questioning look. "Do you still have the book?"

"No." I say. "I left it under my bed."

"Well lets go get it then."

Walking side by side, I lead Sarah to the little house in the woods I used to call home.

**Hey guys! What a way to end a chapter, huh? It's not much of a cliff, but I don't think that matters too much. That just means there will be one next chapter. :) Anyways, I always appreciate feedback from you guys! (I love you for reading my story anyways, whether you leave a review or not.)**

** Guess that's all for now. Seeya!**

**~TL**


	3. Chapter 3

**Holy freaking crap. How overdue is this thing? Probably not as late as I think it is, but oh well. Sorry this chapter isn't my longest. I'll try to get another out soon, but for now, this is it.**

**Anyways, hope you guys enjoy!**

Chapter 3

As I walk alongside Sarah, I realize something I never thought of before. I realize how incredibly lonely I've been since my parents died. Since I left that house, I've never really spoken to anyone else, or been around anyone. I sort of just shut people out. I don't count the villagers that I steal from because they hate my guts. All they ever say to me is "Thief!" and try to take back their stuff. Until now, that's been all anyone's said to me in the last few years.

Now, I walk with Sarah and feel a great sense of, I wouldn't say relief, maybe friendship? I don't know what it is, but it feels pretty good.

We make it to my house fairly quick because we can just follow the trail of destruction those three guys left behind. My house, surprisingly, is still in tact. The village and the land surrounding however, have not made it through completely scratch free. Everything has either been thoroughly burned or covered in the blood of something. At the sight of me, the villagers start screaming things like "Devil girl!" or "Thief!" None of them acknowledge Sarah until she's threatening the next person who speaks with death. They all shut up and we go into my house with about thirty pairs of eyes boring into our backs.

When we get in, it doesn't take me long to grab the book. I almost think we're leaving right after that, but Sarah has a pack I didn't know about. She's intent on filling it with all of the food in my chest. It's not like I care. If I'm the one that dies with the demon, this house won't even matter anymore.

Sarah stops her fevered packing. "I would have let you stay to say goodbye to anyone you knew, but considering everyone here thinks you're from hell, I'm willing to bet we can just leave."

I smile. "You would be right."

"Good." She says. She finishes her packing and we walk back out the door. Now all of the villagers are waiting for us. They all either have torches or an old sword. When we walk out and see them, I think they're going to try to kill us. But all they do is run at my house and set it on fire.

They scream after me as I go. "Go devil girl, and don't ever come back!"

Sarah doesn't say anything, she just walks beside me in silence as she picks a trail and we begin to follow it.

When we're out of range of the villagers, Sarah looks at me as we walk. "I don't mean to pry, but I've only seen villagers that pissed when they actually _know _the one they're yelling at. Were you friends at one point?"

She smiles and I punch her in the arm playfully. "No." I laugh. "I steal from them on a regular basis."

The brief joking look vanishes. "Why?"

I don't respond. I would tell her that I couldn't survive without it, but I'm sure that would just raise more questions. I don't want to talk about my dead parents with this girl. Not yet.

She gets the hint and drops it. Its been a while since I've had someone to talk to. I intended to get a conversation going, but I had no idea what to say. After all, I met her in the city. She may as well be another one of those people that only care about the cool skills others have, or what others have found in a mine without cheating. (I heard someone say they found two emeralds in one trip.) I don't think she is one of those people because she never spoke to anyone but me. _But why? Why was I the only one?_

We have walked far enough along this trail that I don't recognize the forest around us. The trees here grow much taller and wider than the oak ones I'm used to. These trees are much darker, and their leaves only seem to grow on the top of them. Every now and then, I also see the occasional giant mushroom.

I turn to Sarah. "Where are we?"

"The roofed forest." She says simply. "Take your sword out. We may meet a few mobs on the way."

I shiver at the thought of seeing a creeper, but do as she says. "So you've been here before?" I ask.

"Yes," she replies. "A long time ago, but yes. I've been here."

The pained expression on her face tells me she doesn't want to talk about it, but it quickly disappears. Even though I only saw it for a second, I still don't press. Instead, I hold the prophecy out in front of me as we walk. I read it over and over again to either memorize it, or catch something I didn't the first time; whichever comes first. It so happens that I memorize it first.

Sarah asks me why I did other than the fact that it would be nice not to have to read the book every time we needed to know part of the prophecy. I tell her I didn't want to miss anything, and it's technically true; I don't. But I also want to know if there truly is something I didn't see the first time.

We've been walking all day and the forest, I notice, is changing for a second time; or rather, disappearing entirely. I can see the edge of the tree line. Beyond that, I see a small strip of land, beach, and one side of a river. Wondering if this is where she intended on us camping for the night, I ask.

"Well, I had hoped we would make it across the river, but I guess so." She concedes. We set up a small fire, and lay down beside it. We don't have beds, or blankets, or pillows, so it's a little uncomfortable. It is for me anyways. For Sarah, it's a matter of changing form. Since I've already seen her as a bacca, she's okay with transforming so she can sleep comfortably.

I suppose I'm a little jealous considering I'm laying on the ground freezing and she's covered in fur, but I don't say anything. I just cross my arms over my chest and curl up next to her, waiting for morning.

~Time Skip~

I don't know when I fell asleep, but pretty soon, Sarah is shaking the crap out of me telling me it's time to "get up sleeping beauty!" I'm almost flattered by the name until she tells me Sleeping Beauty is actually a story about a little girl who gets cursed by a witch to sleep forever and dies after several years because her true love never comes. At this, I tackle her and we playfully wrestle. I find out quickly that it's harder to do in a dress than it looks.

When we pick up camp and finally get going again, we realize at the same time that we completely forgot about the river.

I look to Sarah since she's the one that brought us here. "How are we going to cross it? We don't have any boats."

She just smiles. "Depends. There are two ways we can do this, but I need to know something first."

"What?" I ask.

"Do you care if your clothes get wet?"

At her question, my first response is silence. I don't actually know what she means until it practically hits me over the head. She wants to know if I would rather swim across it with my clothes on, or completely off.

The blood rushing to my cheeks betrays me as Sarah bends over, shaking with laughter. When she's able to get a hold of herself, she begins to take off her clothes and stuff them in her pack which only makes my cheeks turn redder. She just giggles and jumps into the water swimming toward the opposite shore.

I stand there, on the shore, jaw dropped. She just stripped _naked_ in front of me. Her little purse sits on the ground in front of me. She threw it there before she jumped in. I suppose she's still giving me the choice of whether or not I'll swim there naked or not. I decide I don't really care. I don't want to get my only clothes wet.

I take off my clothes and stuff them into her pack, which appears to be water-proof. I jump in the water and feel almost a little better because I don't feel as exposed. I try to swim to the other side without thinking about it. When I get there, Sarah is standing on the bank, naked, waiting for me. I have the wild impulse to cover my eyes, but instead I hand her the pack and stay in the water.

She giggles a little but takes the pack and gets dressed. When she's done she turns to me. "Aren't you going to come out and get dressed?"

I give her a look. "No, I like it in here."

Catching my sarcasm, she tosses me the pack and walks over to stand by a tree. "Just tell me when you're done so we can get going."

I nod, then remember that she can't see me. "Okay!" I find my clothes in her seemingly bottomless pack, and get dressed quickly. When I'm done I call her back over so she can take her pack and we can go.

As we walk I start to notice the grass slowly changing to a more yellow-green. I ask Sarah about it and she said we were entering the savanna. I see a lot of flatter areas of land. There's also grass as tall as I am growing everywhere alongside a few scattered trees.

I look at Sarah, and realize she's stopped. I stop too and quietly wonder why we're stopping then I see what she sees.

"Oh, Violet." She sighs. "I guess your village wasn't the only one they got to."

She's right. This village has been completely burned down. Craters litter the streets, and the bodies. Oh, the bodies. Bodies hanging out of burnt doors, bodies full of glass, bodies in the street with horrible cuts in them. At the sight of it, I run over next to a tree retching. Since I don't have anything in my stomach to come up, its just bile.

Sarah runs over concern covering her face. "Are you okay?"

I stand to face her. "Fine."

I can still smell it though as we leave the place. The smell of burnt flesh, blood, and ashes. It's all I can do not to vomit again.

When the village is far enough behind us, I breathe a small sigh of relief. I couldn't stand the sight of that place. It only made me think of the village near my house, before I was chased by those three men. Before I truly met Sarah.

I look at her now as we walk. She doesn't seem to mind that her clothes are mostly ripped. Then again, she didn't mind stripping in front of me either. I can clearer now the muscles in her arms and legs as she walks. I can tell they aren't as big as they can get though. When she turns bacca, she's stronger. I can also see her face better now since she isn't running, fighting, or pinning my arm behind my back. She truly is beautiful. Her eyes are a deep blue, and I could stare at them forever. Her brown hair is the same color as the hair that covers her body when she's bacca, but now it just runs down to her shoulders. The rune on her arm shows clearer now in the daylight. It's a raised part of her skin, but I don't think it hurts. If it does, she never cared enough to tell me. I can't tell which rune it is. This aggravates me because it could help if we ever needed to know for the prophecy.

I realize I've been staring at her for a while now, and haven't been watching where I'm going. I look forward in time to see myself run face first into a tree.

"I knew you were staring at me!" Sarah exclaims.

I fall to the ground in front of the tree. "Yeah, okay. You got me trying to figure out which rune is on your freaking arm! I didn't need a tree in my face!"

"Sorry." She helps me up and makes sure I didn't hit my head to hard. It's true I was probably staring at her far longer than I should of, but it was only half a lie. I do want to know which rune is on her arm, I just happened to look at her eyes too. And her hair, and her face, and her...

I realize she has said something and is waiting for an answer. "What?"

She gets annoyed. "I _said_, why don't we set up camp for the night? It's getting dark."

"Oh, yeah. Sure." I help her set up camp for the night, which is basically starting a fire.

Then, I sit and wait to watch the sunset. It truly is pretty, and I don't see it often since I live in a forest. _Lived _in a forest I should say. I don't know whether I'll ever see that place again or not.

Sarah sits down next to me, watching the sun make its slow decent. We don't speak for a while. We just sit there, close together, watching the sun.

Finally, she breaks the silence. "I know someone who could tell us which one it is."

"What do you mean?" I ask.

"The rune," she points to her arm. "I know someone who could tell us what it means."

"Who?" I ask, getting a little excited.

"Setosorcerer." She says. "He knows everything from spells, to potions, to runes."

I almost shout with excitement. "Wait, Seto as in the famous Seto?"

She smiles. "Yes. As in 'the famous Seto'. He lives-" She cuts off abruptly.

"Where? Where does he live?"

"Where we're going."

I want to ask where we're going, but it doesn't sound like she's about to tell me. I let it go because I honestly don't care where we go as long as we kill Him at some point.

I lean against Sarah and she leans against me as we watch the sun sink below the horizon. Its one of the most beautiful sunsets I've ever seen. One of the only I've ever seen, too. When it disappears, leaving the sky tinted pink, I realize I'm crying. The only other sunsets I've seen have been with my parents and now when I see one, I think of them.

Sarah doesn't seem to notice my tears, so I wipe them away quickly. She appears to be lost in her own memories after seeing that sunset. She sits next to me, staring at the spot where the sun vanished, lost in thought.

When she finally snaps out of it she shakes her head, as if to clear it, then shifts to a bacca to sleep. Since I don't have a different form, I just roll over and close my eyes.

** I love the way that turned out. :) I don't know about you guys, but I think Sarah might be a bit sarcastic. She also seems like she keeps lots of things to herself like, for example, where the hell are they going?! All shall be revealed, (or some of it at least) next chapter... seeya!**

**~TL**


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